Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Back in 1976, the first Women's British Open, then called the Ladies' British Open, was the flagship event of the Ladies' Golf Union when it was played at Fulford Golf Club in Yorkshire.
This was at a time when there were only a small handful of British women professional golfers around.
How times have changed. The women's game and in particular the number of professionals has grown dramatically since those days when many golf clubs still refused women entry, let alone being allowed to play the course!
Thankfully, on the whole this is now not the case and the ladies enjoy equal playing rights to their male counterparts at most clubs these days and rightly so. We should all be able to enjoy this wonderful game, without the snobbery and inequality that put many people off in times gone by.
This year the Women's British Open is being held at Royal Lytham & St Anne's Golf Club in Lancashire England, one of the oldest and most traditional clubs you could find. Lytham is steeped in golfing history having held many major championships over the years, including Open Championships and Ryder Cup.
The ladies return for the fourth time in the relatively short history of their championship. The tournament only joined the LPGA schedule in 1994, becoming a Major finally in 2001. Until then the only Major championships in the women's game were all contested in the US. Since 2001, the tournament, the strength of the field, its prestige and the prize funds have all grown beyond recognition.
South Korea's Ji Yai Shin became a household name in the women's game 12 months ago when she emulated her compatriot Se Ri Pak and won the 2008 championship at Sunningdale Golf Club. The diminutive 20-year-old belied her tender years and inexperience to hold off the cream of the LPGA Tour and collect her first Major title. She has since gone on to third place in the world rankings.
The 2008 championship also saw the great Annika Sorenstam, a former champion at Lytham in 2003, play her final Major after 15 magnificent years on tour, including 10 Major victories. She bowed out in style, at the top, with a 20-foot birdie putt on the final green falling into the cup for a fitting finale.
She will be sadly missed during this year's tournament.
The women's game, just like the men's is lucky to have a vast pool of talent coming through ready to replace the great stars in the rankings. Lorena Ochoa, the current world number one and latest inductee into the Hall of Fame has competition hot on her heels from a number of sources.
The endless stream of talent arriving on the LPGA Tour from Asia, and in particular from Japan and Korea, is amazing and continues to dominate the rankings.
I often tell my pupils to watch the women professionals play when they get the chance. It shows them great examples of rhythm, timing, perfect fundamentals and how to get the most out of your golf swing.
Male golfers in particular are amazed when I tell them that these girls are averaging 260 yards off the tee - how can this be possible, when the average club player is trying his hardest, hitting his hardest and ending up only achieving 240 yards? (Usually in the rough I might add!).
To hear the answer to that you should come for a lesson, but for now, if you get the chance, watch the ladies play; you just might learn something!
